Collapsible rim



E. F. WILSON.

COLLAPSIBLE RIM.

' APPLICATION HLEQ DEC. 1. I9l9.

1,418,045. Patented y 30, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

E. F. WILSON.

COLLAPSIBLE RIM.

APPLICATION FILED 050.1, I919.

1,41 8,045, Patented May 30, 1922- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

QYJw/e Wdor Efiuariojgllizllaom 25 @4010. 6072224. Q SM warmya UT'TLEE-EQE IEDVVARD FAY WILSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO LIGHTNINGCHANGE RIM CORPORATION, BERRIEN SPRINGS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 61);?

MICHIGAN.

COLLAPSIBLE RIIJL Application filed December This invention relates toimprovemcntsin collapsible rims for carrying automobile tires and hasparticular reference to collapsible rims for use withtires havingsubstantially inexpansible bases or base beads.

Rims for carrying mich tires have circumferentia-l edge flanges and oneform of collapsible rim is provided with a transverse cut at one point111 its circumference.

Va rious forms of links have been devised for swinging one end of therim within the other end and in overlapping relation for reducing theover-all dimensions of the rim suf ficiently to permit its flanges topass freely throughthe tire in mounting and demounting the tire.

have provided a rim of this character having a link which spans the cutin the rim and is pivoted to the flanges thereof, the link being soformed that its side parts freely pass the ends of the rim in collapsingoperation without the necessity, existing in some form of links, ofslotting the flanges of the rim.

It is a particular object of my invention to provide a simple form oflink for connecting the ends especially of a split rim of the Dunloptype, which can be easily and readily applied without the necessity ofelaborate and expensive too-ls and appliances and which does not requireregistering slots in the flanges of the rim at the linked ends.

My invention resides in a collapsible rim out apart at one point in itscircumference and having the ends thus foianed, linked together by alink which spans the cut and has side or lateral extensions embracingthe flanges of the rim. These extensions are pivotally connected to theends of the rim and the link is so formed. that one end of the rim canswing freely within the other end without any hindrance from the link.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 39, 1922.

Serial no. senses.

My invention will be more readily understood byreference to saidaccompanying drawlngs in which: 5 Flgure 1 is a side elevation of a rimmade in accordance with my invention, showing the run in extendedcondition in full lines and m collapsed condition in dotted. lines;

rigure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the rim and the connecting link;I

Flgure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the ends of the rim;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the connecting link; K

Figure 5 is a transverse radial. section of the rim on the line 5-5 ofFigure 2; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary circumferential section of the rim, showingthe connection at the second cut in the rim.

In said drawings 1 is a tire carrying rim havlng side flanges 2, forminga channel, within which the pneumatic tire is held. Obviously, theflanges 2- can take the form. of clincher flanges or the well knownDunlop flanges.

The rim cut apart transversely at one point 3 in its circumference,forming two rim ends i and 5 which abut each other when the rim is intire holding or expanded condition, as shown in Figure l in full lines.

Ordinarily this single cut is the onlv one whichl use, and I provide anoperating link 6 having a central web portion '7 which is curved toconform with the inner peripherv of the rim and to lie flat against thesame when the rim is expanded as best shown in Figures 1 and 3; Thislink spans the cut 3 and I, pivotally connect this link to the. two endsi and 5 of the rim by'means of pivots 8 and 9 which connect the: link tothe two ends respectively. I provide the edges of the web portion 7 ofthe link with pairs of radially extending tongues 10 and 11 which extendout substantially radially of the rim and substantially parallel withthe rim flanges for receiving said pivots 8 and 9. The pivots 8 arearranged in the end 4: of the rim extending through the flanges thereofand adjacent to the out 3, while the pivots 9 are similarly arranged inthe flanges of the end 5 of the rim, but some distance from the out, sothat when the link is turned inwardly to the dotted position shown inFigure 1 the end 4 of the rim will be drawn within the circumference ofthe rim and the rim will be collapsed. The link, thus formed is veryrigid and can be made relatively thin so that it occupies but a veryshort radial distance. within the rim web and consequently does notinterfere with the placement of the rim upon a wheel which is butslightly smaller in diameter than the inner diameter of the rim. I mayextend the web portion 7' circumferentially beyond the side members 10,forming ahandle 12 by means of which the link can be forcibly rotatedupon the pivots 9 to carry the end 4 of the rim both to its collapsedposition and to its extended or tire holding position.

In order to allow the link 6 to swing freely to the collapsed positionasshown in dotted lines in Figure 1, without interference with the turnedout "flanges 2 of the Dunlop form of rim shown, I join the flange parts10 to the web 7 of the link by transversely extending portions 18 whichextend out from the edges of the web portion 7 of the link at points ata distance from the cut 8 so that such connecting parts of the link arecircumferentially removed from the adjacent end of the rim sufficientlyto afford clearance be tween such parts and the extreme end of the rimto permit the link to freely pass. the end of the rim when said endswings in wardly. At the opposite end of the link the web 7 is cut awayas best shown at 14:, Fig

ure 4, to allow clearance between this end of the web of the link andthe web of the rim to permit the link to swing inwardly to collapse therim.

As shown in Figure 5,1 may provide tilling thimbles 15 on the pivots 8and 9 between the parts 10 and 11 and the adjacent flanges of the rim soas to present radial surfaces against which theparts 10 and 11 are heldby the pivots.

In the application of my invention to some rims of heavy section, I mayprovide a second cut 16 in the rim dividing the rim into a short section17 and a long section 18 which. together form the complete circumferenceof the rim. I permanently connect the ends of the rim formed by the cut16 by means of a plate 19 which spans the cut 16 and lies within andagainst the inner periphery of I the rim. I connect the ends of theplate 19 to the web of the rim by loose connectors such as rivets 20which permit the two connected ends of the rim to swing inwardly as on ahinge a limited distance, as shown in dotted line in Figure 6, andthereafter the joint becomes rigid. The further swinging of the part 17inwardly serves to flex inwardly the long section as best shown indotted lines in Figure 1.

To cause the ends of the rim at the cut 16 to register transversely ofthe rim I provide a dowel 22 on the plate 19 adapted to be received innotches provided in the meeting ends of the rim.

.will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, I do notlimit or confine my invention to the special form of link or to thespecific structures herein shown and described cxcept within the scopeof the ap pended claims.

I claim:

1. In a rim cut apart at one point in its circumference,a linkconnecting the ends of the rim, said link having a web portion extendingcircumferentially within the rim and spanning the cut,.,connecting partsextending laterally from the web portion and having their ends bentoutwardly substantially parallel with the flanges of the rim andpivot-ally connected to same, the pivotal connection at one end beingadjacent to the cut and at the other end spaced from the cut to swingthe first end inwardly when collapsing the rim, the connecting parts forthe inwardly swinging rim end extending circumferentially away from theadjacent pivot and then inwardly to the web of the link, the webport-ion being slotted to pro-.

vide clearance between the parts and. the outwardly turned flanges ofthe rim at said inwardly swinging rim end to permit the collapsing ofthe rim.

2. The improvements herein described comprising a channeled rim havingoutwardly extending and flaring circu1nferential flanges at its edges,the rim cut apart transverselyat one point in its circumference, a linkhaving parts embracing the rim and pivotally connected to the flanges ofthe rim adjacent to the cut at one end and to the other end of the rimat pivots 'spaced'from the cut, the embracing parts connected to the rimadjacent to the cut extending circumferentially away from the cut andthen inwardly to the body of the link, the body of said link beingslotted to provide clearance between said parts and the adjacent end ofthe rim when the rim is collapsed.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 7th-day ofNovember, 1919.

EDWARD FAY WILSON.

